SBS Transit

SBS Transit Ltd
	File:SBS Transit logo.png
Company type	Public (SGX: SBSTransit)
Industry	Public Transport
Founded	1973 (as Singapore Bus Services) 2001 (as SBS Transit)
Headquarters	Singapore
Key people	Lim Jit Poh (Chairman); Kua Hong Pak (Deputy Chairman); Gan Juay Kiat (CEO);
Products	Bus and Rail Services in Singapore
Revenue	S$697.1 million SGD (2009)
Operating income	S$63 million SGD (2009)
Net income	S$54.6 million SGD (2009)
Number of employees	7,542 (2009)
Website	http://www.sbstransit.com.sg

SBS Transit Limited (Chinese: 新捷运; pinyin: Xīnjiéyùn, SGX: S61 ) is a public transport operator in Singapore. Its major competitor in Singapore's duopoly transport system is SMRT Corporation, which also operates bus, rail, taxi and other transport services.

The company (organisation) was formed as a separately-listed subsidiary in November 1997 under the name of Singapore Bus Services Limited, although it can trace its history back to the formation of Singapore Bus Service in 1973 with the merger of three bus companies. On 1 November 2001, the company's name was changed to SBS Transit Limited to reflect its status as a bus and rail operator.

Its parent company is ComfortDelGro Corporation, which was formerly known as DelGro Corporation Limited. The parent company has Singapore Bus Service as its direct predecessor.

In 2003, SBS Transit started operating the North East MRT Line of the Mass Rapid Transit system in addition to its existing bus operations. SBS Transit announced in November 2009 that they were preparing to bid for future MRT lines, starting with the Downtown MRT Line.

History

Singapore Bus Service (SBS) was initially formed in 1973 with the merger of three private bus companies. The government-sanctioned merger was undertaken to improve service standards of the bus transport system.

With the shift towards the creation of multi-modal transport companies, Singapore Bus Service Ltd changed its name to DelGro Corporation Limited in November 1997. Bus operations were hived-off to a fully-owned subsidiary called Singapore Bus Services Limited, which was separately listed on the Singapore Exchange.

In November 2001, Singapore Bus Services Limited was renamed as SBS Transit Limited when the company formally became a multi-modal transport operator with the impending opening of the Sengkang LRT Line.

Operations

SBS Transit's primary business is providing public transport services in Singapore. Its more notable operations are the following.

Bus operations in Singapore, comprising a fleet of about 2,800 buses, serving almost the entire island
Rapid transit operations along the North East Line of the MRT network and its 16 stations
Light rail operations and manages the 29 stations along the Sengkang and Punggol LRT lines.

Current bus fleet

SBS Transit currently operates 75% of the scheduled bus market share in Singapore with more than 265 bus services and has a total fleet of more than 2,800 buses. All but 100 buses are non air-conditioned.All the different bus models have a common lifespan of 17 years,except the Mercedes Benz O405 buses whose lifespan were extended to 19 years and the Volvo B10M MK3s whose lifespan were extended to 18 years. This means that the 100 non-aircon buses will be retired in 2011. In the last 3 years, SBS Transit ordered 1,100 buses from Scania AB and 350 buses from Volvo as part of its fleet renewal programme, while evaluating wheelchair accessible chassis offers from Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Scania AB and MAN. The newest additions to the bus fleet is the both made in China King Long Higer KLQ6129G Hydrogen Fuel Cell "GreenLite" bus and the Sunlong SLK6121UF14H Hybrid buses.

Model	Bodywork	Year Introduced	Units Introduced	Notes/Comments
Dennis Dart	Duple Metsec	1994	10	Deregistering Midibus 9.4 metres long Registered as SBS8009A – SBS8018Z
King Long Higer KLQ6129G Hydrogen Fuel Cell "GreenLite"	Higer Integral Body	2010	1	Hydrogen Fuel cell bus Used during the YOG, to be deployed on service 179 Demonstrator registered as RD6066L
Leyland Olympian 3-axle	Walter Alexander Royale	1993	200	Deregistering Registered as SBS9000S-SBS9199C SBS9000S-SBS9019P are deregistered SBS9168S is the last Leyland chassis ever produced in the world
Scania K230UB	Gemilang Coachworks Sdn Bhd	2006	1,101	Euro IV Demonstrator registered as SBS8033D
		2007(Batch 1) 2008-2009 (Batch 2)		Euro IV Batch 2 K230UBs have an extra granny seat behind the bus driver. Batch 1 registered as SBS8034B - SBS8131D, SBS8138K & SBS8888D Batch 2 SBS8132B - SBS8223Y; SBS8433H - SBS8483M (except "SBS8138K") SBS8225S - SBS8432K; SBS8485H - SBS8561X (except registration numbers ending with "4") SBS8405P is the only K230UB with LECIP EDS
		2009(Batch 1) 2010 (Batch 2)		Euro V Batch 2 K230UBs got its 5000-number registration. Batch 1 Registered as SBS8562T - SBS8999S (except registration numbers ending with "4" and SBS8888D), SBS8884P, SBS8894K, SBS8904R, SBS8934D, SBS8954X, SBS8984J and SBS8994E Batch 2 SBS5001R - SBS5252H (except registration numbers containing "4")
Scania K310UD	Gemilang Coachworks Sdn Bhd	2010	1	Euro IV Singapore's SECOND Double-Decker Wheelchair Accessible Public Bus Demonstrator registered as SBS7888K
Sunlong SLK6121UF14H Hybrid	Sunlong Integral Body	2010	32	Euro IV Hybrid buses Deliveries Ongoing Demonstrators registered as SBS8000Z and SBS8001X
Volvo B7RLE	Soon Chow	2007	1	Euro IV Demonstrator registered as SBS8030L
Volvo B9TL	Singapore ComfortDelgro Engineering Corporation Ltd	2006	649	Euro III Singapore's F1RST Double-Decker Wheelchair Accessible Public Bus Registered as SBS7300P – SBS7499A SBS7440T is deregistered
Volvo B9TL	Wright Eclipse Gemini 2	2010	649	Euro V Singapore's THIRD Double-Decker Wheelchair Accessible Public Bus Deliveries Ongoing Registered buses as of now are SBS7500D - SBS7527C
Volvo B10M	Duple Metsec	1990-1992	278/300	Euro I Mk 3 Deregistering Registered as SBS582M-SBS881A SBS876R and SBS877M have Voith gearboxes. Now on Johor Bahru registered buses for services 160 (red plate only) and 170 (red and blue plates only)
		1995-1997	115	Euro I Mk 4 Registered as SBS882Y-SBS996C SBS972C is deregistered
		1995	1	Euro I Mk 4 Superlong registered as SBS997A Served as service 83 in the present
	PSV Soon Chow	1993	10	Mk 4 Previously on Sentosa-registered buses are SH-plated buses and now another 10 units are PA-plated buses Registered as SBS8019X-SBS8028U
	Walter Alexander Strider	1997	198	Euro I Mk 4 Registered as SBS1896B-SBS1999M, SBS2593T-SBS2688D SBS1921L is deregistered
	Duple Metsec DM3500	1997/2001	150	Euro II Mk 4 Registered as SBS2689B - SBS2838M SBS2754X is the first bus to be fitted with outswing plug doors SBS2779A is fitted with EDS and a CCTV camera beside the left front lights Buses SBS2689B - SBS2788Z was released on roads in 1997 and SBS2789X - SBS2838M were hitting the roads islandwide in 2001
Volvo Olympian	Walter Alexander Royale	1994-1995 (Batch 1) 1996-1997 (Batch 2) 1999-2000 (Batch 3)	471	Euro II 3-axle aircon Batch 1 Registered as SBS9200G - SBS9400X Batch 2 Registered as SBS9401T - SBS9600K Batch 3 Registered as SBS9601H - SBS9670H Batch 3 Volvo Olympians are being retrofitted with LECIP EDS 4 buses were deregistered: SBS9245C, SBS9357M, SBS9424C and SBS9619H All Volvo Olympians for 3-Axle has no TV Mobile from 2010
Volvo Olympian	Walter Alexander Royale	1994	100	2-axle non-aircon Registered as SBS7198T-SBS7297R Those were retired in 2011 All for 2-Axle without TV Mobile
Volvo Super Olympian (Volvo B10TL)	Volgren CR222LD	2001–2002	51	Euro II Registered as SBS9800A - SBS9849K SBS9810X is assembled in Australia and is fitted with an EDS, Transit Media Unit, with SBS9889U
Volvo Super Olympian (Volvo B10TL)	Singapore ComfortDelgro Engineering Corporation Ltd	2005	51	Euro II Demonstrator registered as SBS9889U Demostrator with Transit Media Unit, like SBS9810X
Mercedes-Benz O405	Duple Metsec	1990-1992	200	Deregistering Registered as SBS3723D-SBS3922X Some units have been exported and rebodied to serve as urban buses in Bangkok. All of them have the old SBS (Singapore Bus Services Limited) bells (purple)
Mercedes-Benz O405	Duple Metsec	1991-1992	300	Deregistering Registered as SBS282D-SBS581R Some are transported to Thailand to serve as urban buses in Bangkok after their deregistration in Singapore.
Dennis Trident 3	Duple Metsec	2000	20	Euro II Registered as SBS9671E-SBS9690A SBS9672C, SBS9674Y, SBS9679J, SBS9680D and SBS9690A were fitted with newly COOLAIR EDS

Non-commissioned buses

Model	Image	Bodywork	Year	Units to be introduced	Notes
Mercedes Benz Citaro (O530)		Mercedes Benz	2011-2012	300

Former and decommissioned buses

Model	Bodywork	Year Introduced	Units Introduced	Notes/Comments
Guy Victory	Soon Chow Body	1978–1980	500	Scrapped
Leyland Atlantean	Walter Alexander R-type	1984–1986	200	Scrapped
Leyland Lynx	Walter Alexander PS	1989	1	Demonstrator (SBS3572Y) Used a Scania N113CRB front bumper after an accident in August 2001 Scrapped
Leyland Olympian 2-axle	Walter Alexander R-type	1986–1988	200	Non-aircon 2 buses are bought by private companies and are preserved while the remaining buses were either sold to overseas or are scrapped
MAN 16.240 HOCL	PSV Soon Chow	1986	1	Demonstrator (SBS81S) Scrapped
Mercedes-Benz 811D	Asia Coach	1993	5	Minibuses 7.6 meters long Sold to private companies
Mercedes-Benz O305	Walter Alexander R-type	1984–1986	200	Scrapped
Mercedes-Benz O405	Walter Alexander PS	1990–1992	200	Some units have been exported and rebodied to serve as urban buses in Bangkok.Most of the units have been scrapped .
Mercedes-Benz O405	Duple Metsec	1990–1992	300	Some units have been exported and rebodied to serve as urban buses in Bangkok. Still can be found in revenue service in Singapore.
Mercedes-Benz O405G	Volgren	1996	1	Demonstrator (SBS999U) SBS's second bendy bus 17.5 metres long Sold to New Zealand in 2006^[1]
Mercedes-Benz OC500LE	Gemilang Coachworks Sdn Bhd	2009	1	Demonstrator,Trade Plate No: SBS3725S, SBS Transit rejected the trial and now the bus belongs to Chitson Transport, PA9588S.
Scania L113CRL ^[2]	PSV Soon Chow	1995	12	Previously deployed on Airbus Services and are SH-plated buses PA-plated and painted in SBS Leisure livery 3 buses were sold in 2005 to Westpoint, a private company while the remaining buses were scrapped
Scania N113CRB	Walter Alexander PS	1989–1990	200	Registered from 1989 to 2009 as SBS31L - SBS80U; SBS3573U - SBS3722G Scrapped by May 2009 SBS3572Y is the only Leyland Lynx in Scania N113CRB front bumper SBS73R from service 32 was chosen to undergo a experimental refurbishment project, and its end-result was a very similar appearance that the Volvo B9TL with ComfortDelgro Engineering bodywork had
Volvo B10M Demonstrator	Van Hool	1986	1	Demonstrator (SBS9C) Sold to New Zealand in late 1990s
Volvo B10M MK 2	Walter Alexander PS Duple Metsec	1988–1989	200	Scrapped by 2008
Volvo B10MA	Duple Metsec	1996	1	Demonstrator (SBS998Y) SBS's first bendy bus Asia longest bus (19 metres long) Sold to New Zealand in 2006^[1]
Volvo Super Olympian (Volvo B10TL)	Volgren CR222LD	1999	1	Euro 2 Demonstrator registered as SBS9888Y SBS9888Y had its EDS removed in 1 December 2005. First bus to have TVMobile. SBS9888Y on service 25 was destroyed in a fire on 7 March 2010 in Ang Mo Kio Bus Depot.

Bus routes

SBS Transit operates many different types of bus routes and bus services, taking up the majority of the pie of Singapore's duopoly bus system in almost all areas of Singapore, with the notable exception of the North and Northwest areas, where bus services are mainly run by its competitor, SMRT Corporation.

Trunk: Routes that ply between towns. These are the basic forms of SBS Transit bus services. Fares are distance-related and differential up to 8 fare bands.
Short working Trips (SWT): Routes that operate short haul trips between origin-destination pairs with high demand, such as the area near an MRT station. It operated a subset of the parent route and there can be more than one SWT per trunk route.
Feeder: Services that operate within a neighbourhood, connecting outlying areas to the town centre or bus interchange. (Loops around from an interchange, around one or more neighbourhoods or towns and then terminates at the starting interchange). As a name suggest, it is to feed the commuters to the trunk services or MRT services at the terminal/interchange. A flat fare, equivalent to the first fare band is charged per entry.
TownLink: Routes that consist of combined feeder services to provide links and improve connectivity between neighborhoods within the same town. (Similar to a feeder service except that, other than when stopping a 'session', the service will not terminate at the interchange but will re-run its route immediately after letting passengers alight, in essence, a true loop)
Express: Routes that stop at several nominated and sparsely located stops and generally run on expressways for faster travel between several towns. This is a basic-plus service charging higher fares.
Fast Forward: A modification of basic trunk routes, Fast Forwards are an innovation of SBS Transit, which provides faster travel between places where there is higher demand, by calling at fewer stops and skipping low demand areas. This is also a basic-plus services charging higher fares.
Premium: A single trip from the designated neighborhoods during the morning peak hours on weekdays to Shenton Way and Raffles Place via expressway. They were introduced following the liberalization in regulations for public operators providing such services. Fees are flat rated ($3.10 or $3.40 for ez-link card users depending on the distance travelled) and standing is prohibited on Premium Services.
Nite Owl: These are after-hour services on Fridays, Saturdays and eve of public holidays. There are only a handful of bus routes for this service and fees are $1.45 (ez-link) or $1.50 (cash) for intra-town commutes and $3.80 (ez-link) or $4 (cash) between CBD and HDB towns served.
Chinatown Direct: Introduced in 2005, these are routes that run from suburban towns to Chinatown via expressway. Such routes are very popular in the period before the Lunar New Year. A fare of $1.75 (ez-link) or $1.80 (cash) is charged per boarding ($0.95-$1.00 for child/concession card holders).
Parks: Services that run from major parks to the nearest bus interchange/terminal.
Stadium Direct: Services that run from the Singapore Indoor Stadium to major towns after major concerts or events being held there. The Stadium Direct services will be no longer be offered from 1 September 2010.

Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)

SBS Transit is the operator of the North East Line since it opened in 2003. The North East Line is the third Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore, and also the world's first fully underground and automated rapid transit line. The line is 20 km long with 16 stations.

The operating license was given to SBS Transit in order to foster competition with SMRT Corporation and to create multi-modal public transport companies, each specializing in their own district.

As the name implies, the line connects central Singapore to the north-eastern part of the island. Currently, transfers to the North South Line are provided at Dhoby Ghaut Station, East West Line at Outram Park Station and Circle Line at Serangoon Station and Dhoby Ghaut Station. In 2011, HarbourFront Station along the line will interchange with the Circle Line. The rolling stock used is Alstom Metropolis.

Light Rail Transit (LRT)

In addition to the North East Line, SBS Transit is also operates two LRT systems, Sengkang and Punggol. Both lines connect the estate to one of two NEL Stations and is total of 29 stations including Sengkang and Punggol interchange stations.

Key operating statistics

Monthly Ridership for Bus and Rail ^[3]

Month	2004		2005		2006		2007		2008		2009		2010
Month	Bus	Rail	Bus	Rail	Bus	Rail	Bus	Rail	Bus	Rail	Bus	Rail	Bus	Rail
January	64,324,473	6,004,948	64,885,728	6,834,446	62,247,969	7,683,908	67,380,546	8,857,847	73,235,547	10,482,340	69,833,080	11,376,659	72,199,589	12,378,114
February	62,548,766	5,295,081	56,837,060	6,057,296	59,854,200	6,822,060	59,429,412	8,255,520	65,270,126	9,638,353	65,783,396	10,073,000	63,068,208	11,265,212
March	66,351,036	5,746,222	64,890,223	6,732,828	65,965,396	7,590,381	68,315,754	9,157,896	69,948,803	10,286,389	69,451,005	11,084,732	72,137,465	12,729,158
April	63,487,500	5,435,070	62,479,980	6,426,390	62,070,030	7,224,930	64,984,800	8,541,180	70,427,160	10,036,560	68,923,860	10,608,300	71,284,980	12,285,630
May	64,064,538	5,826,574	62,302,994	6,740,609	65,193,992	7,645,809	68,075,039	9,165,708	71,036,035	10,496,414	70,184,899	10,986,555	72,763,758	12,731,359
June	58,792,110	5,786,490	59,278,140	6,729,450	60,320,040	7,486,080	63,261,870	9,135,180	66,607,710	10,403,520	64,626,930	11,301,060	67,716,960	12,407,070
July	66,508,609	6,105,977	64,967,196	7,107,649	66,616,613	7,900,846	69,919,973	9,518,922	74,758,329	11,221,008	72,516,285	11,511,819	76,803,244	13,935,151
August	65,082,175	6,010,931	65,473,116	7,075,905	67,592,493	7,991,924	70,018,739	9,570,413	73,311,156	11,135,107	71,006,802	11,615,111
September	62,920,620	5,908,380	62,254,350	6,956,040	63,886,170	7,847,130	66,016,800	9,226,680	70,400,310	10,886,250	68,542,950	11,364,840
October	63,445,158	6,039,513	63,613,023	7,232,610	64,805,469	8,775,790	69,212,119	9,854,032	71,997,252	11,430,258	71,927,657	11,936,550
November	58,936,800	6,008,850	59,570,430	7,016,160	63,188,790	8,779,170	64,996,140	9,630,330	67,726,470	10,830,150	67,368,480	11,356,920
December	60,215,888	6,575,844	60,499,569	7,653,001	61,434,405	9,420,497	64,456,068	10,454,285	66,448,221	11,614,181	67,325,707	12,384,903
Year Total	756,677,673	70,743,880	747,051,809	82,562,384	763,175,567	95,168,525	796,067,260	111,367,993	841,167,119	128,486,341	827,967,548	135,600,449

Notes

Rail ridership includes North East Line (NEL), Sengkang LRT and Punggol LRT rides.
The Sengkang LRT and NEL commenced revenue service on 18 January 2003 and 20 June 2003 respectively. The Punggol LRT began service on 29 January 2005.
Monthly rail ridership exceeded 10 million for the first time in December 2007.

References

Ilsa Sharp, (2005), SNP:Editions, The Journey - Singapore's Land Transport Story. ISBN 981-248-101-X

External links

SBS Transit official site

[multiple-1] ttp://sbs3758d.fotopic.net/c1644378.html

[2] ttp://www.sbs9684t.fotopic.net/c1428185.html

[3] SBS Transit Ridership

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